January 27, 2011 Newport This Week Page 15
Monday
Thursday
Jan. 31
Feb. 3
Teen Improv Class Teens can learn the basics of improv in this six session course before putting on their own show at the Firehouse Theater. 3 – 5:30 p.m. 4 Equality Park Place, 849-3473.
ALT Annual Meeting Celebrate an amazing year of land conservation at the Aquidneck Land Trust’s 21st Annual Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Atlantic Beach Club, 53 Purgatory Rd., Middletown. Free and open to the public. RSVP at 849-2799 ext. 19.
Tuesday Feb. 1
Working in Wellness An Open House for area students interested in entering the wellness field at the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center of Newport Hospital, 20 Powel Ave., 3:30 – 4:45 p.m., 845-1845. NARFE Meeting The National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees, Newport Chapter, will meet at 1 p.m., at the United Congregational Church, Valley Road, Middletown. All active and retired federal employees and their spouses are invited to attend. For more information call R. Bianco at 683-5421. Volunteer Training Volunteer orientation for the Newport Boy’s & Girl’s Club at 5:30 p.m. Learn how to help with homework, inspire, and play games. 847-6927.
Wednesday
Teen Screenwriting Workshop 6 – 7:30 p.m. Please see Thursday, Jan. 27 for more information. Run and Chug Club 6:15 p.m. Please see Thursday, Jan. 27 for more information.
Friday Feb. 4
The Bit Players 8 p.m., Please see Friday, Jan. 28 for more details.
Saturday Feb. 5
Middletown Historical Society Monthly meeting held at 9:30 a.m. at the Paradise School on the corners of Prospect and Paradise Avenues in Middletown. All residents of Aquidneck are welcome, 842-0551.
Feb. 2
Open Drawing Session 9 a.m. – noon, Please see Saturday, Jan. 29 for more information.
Energy Improvement Seminar Are you planning an alternative energy installation or an energy efficiency upgrade? If so, come learn about grants, loans and local opportunities. 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Middletown Town Hall, 350 E. Main Rd.
Comedy at the Casino Two headliners in one night. Paul D’Angelo and Tony V. at the Newport Grand Event Center. 8 p.m., 150 Admiral Kalbfus Rd., 608-6777. 18+ show, $20.
Open Drawing Session An open drawing session with a model, 3 – 6 p.m., $13, at the Edward King House, 35 King St., Newport. 662-1630. Volunteer Training 11 a.m. Please see Tuesday, Feb. 1 for more details. Chess Group 7:30 p.m. at Empire Tea & Coffee, 22 Broadway, all are welcome to play.
The Bit Players 8 p.m., Please see Friday, Jan. 28 for more details.
Sunday Feb. 6
Musica Dolce Chamber Concert Featuring the music of Beethoven and Brahms, at Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham St., 2 p.m., 846-2125.
Mansions, Museums and Historic Sites The Breakers Open daily, 44 Ochre Point Ave., 847-1000, www.newportmansions.org International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum Discover the history of tennis through a diverse collection of memorabilia, art and video, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 194 Bellevue Ave., free for kids under 16 , 849-3990; www.tennisfame.com. Museum of Newport History Exhibits on display depict the city’s role in the American Revolution and its emergence as a Gilded Age resort. Open daily 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 127 Thames St., 841-8770, www.newporthaavaistorical.org National Museum of American Illustration Original artworks from the Golden Age of Illustration in a historic Gilded Age mansion, 492 Bellevue Ave., 851-8949, ext. 18, www.americanillustration.org Naval War College Museum Free and open to the public, visitors without a base decal must call the museum to gain access to the Naval Station; 841-2101. Newport Art Museum “The Abstract in Realism”: Riley, Simpson and Gaucher-Thomas share a strong sense of composition, an appreciation for mystery, and an approach to their representational paintings and drawings that incorporates many of the characteristics usually associated with Abstract Art. Open daily, 76 Bellevue Ave., 848-8200, www. newportartmuseum.org Ochre Court One of Newport’s first “summer cottages” built in 1892, now Salve Regina University’s administration building, ground floor open Monday thru Friday, 9-4 p.m. Redwood Library The nation’s oldest library, c 1748, 50 Bellevue Avenue, free, donations always welcome, 847-0292; www.redwoodlibrary.org Rough Point Doris Duke’s oceanfront estate, 680 Bellevue Avenue, 847-8344, www.newportrestoration.org
NATURE
The Great Backyard Bird Count By Jack Kelly The 14th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be held Feb. 18-21. Each year tens of thousands of people throughout the United States and Canada take part in this event. The GBBC is a joint project of the Audobon Society and Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. People of all ages and all levels of bird-watching experience are welcome to join in this fun, family friendly, educational, and free program. You can count birds wherever you are: your own backyard, off your balcony, at your local park, at a nature refuge or preserve, on Ocean Drive, reservoirs, ponds, marshes, beaches or at the harbor and the bay. The GBBC is a great way to learn more about the birds in your community and to connect with nature. It’s an ideal way for more experienced birders to introduce children, grandchildren, and others to the wonderful world of birds. Teachers have found the GBBC to be a great tool in helping young students focus on their tasks. Families have discovered a wonderful way to spend quality time together and learn about nature. Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout troop leaders have found the GBBC to be a fantastic educational tool for the young people of their organizations. However, you can count by yourself, with your family, community group, school, or friends, it’s up to you! The GBBC website, www.BirdCount.org, makes it easy to participate, simply enter the data you collect and explore your results online. You will also find instructions on how to enter the GBBC’s photo contest and a list of the prizes available to winners online. Make memories that will last a lifetime and instill the love of nature in our future
Workshop
A Short-eared Owl (Photo by Jack Kelly) generations. This activity is free and available to all; there’s nothing to lose and you will not be disappointed!
Local Bird-Watching Report
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge has been extremely active in the past few weeks with the arrival of some new guests. At least three Short-eared Owls have been spotted hunting prey in the fields and marsh area of the refuge. Local birders report that the best time to see them is after 2:30 p.m., or just after dawn. The Green-tailed Towhee is still present in and near the campground at Second Beach, on Sachuest Point Road in Middletown. If you watch the poles and wires along Sachuest Point Road, from the surfer’s end of Second Beach through to the gates of the refuge, you may see additional raptors. The marsh is active with ducks and the wintering population of sea ducks, atop the waters of the ocean and the Sakonnet River. Raptors spotted this past week: Short-eared Owls (3) Rough-legged Hawk (1) Red-tailed Hawks (3) Cooper’s Hawk (2) American Kestrel (1) Harrier Hawks (3) Peregrine Falcon (1)
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bers of the public present. The small feel of the meeting allowed council members to freely adjust the words and phrases of the Newport vision as they saw fit. Mayor Stephen C. Waluk especially liked the “superlative language” of the new vision. Council member Kate Leonard agreed that the key word of “livable” is one that “encompasses” all facets of the town. “It lets those know that Newport is safe, affordable, and has a good education system,” said Leonard. The bigger task came when the council struggled on creating a more in depth, longer mission statement for Newport. Mayor Waluk decided that the mission statement that the council came up with would be put onto the city’s Website so that citizens of Newport may comment on provided feedback for what they thought on the mission. The council wants to get the wording of both the vision and mission statement just right because, as Mayor Waluk stated, “We can only evaluate our efforts by what we put out there. And we can only be held accountable for that which we have control over.” Hank Kniskern, the moderator of the meeting, closed the session by instructing each member of the council to “walk into the future and think about outcomes. How is
our goal of this meeting going to be different in the future than it is today? Think in terms of quality of life, from today to five years down the road.” Councilors then listed off present concerns that Newport faces on a daily basis: parking availability, concerns over valet parking, traffic patterns, zoning, and communications with business owners were deemed as the top concerns. With those items listed, Kniskern had the members of the council discuss how they hoped those issues would be resolved in five years time. The council agreed with Waluk that having a “proactive coordination” with business owners would be key to solving the problem of “hobby” business owners. “The main problem is that people are opening these businesses without a plan,” said Leonard. By 2016, the city hopes to have in place a process for new businesses, with an ordinance set to help local store owners bring their dreams into fruition. Another meeting date wasn’t immediately set, but Waluk said he will coordinate to have one posted online as soon as possible. We’ll also list the meeting, when it’s announced, on our sister publication, Newport-Now.com